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Bad things happen in Philadelphia. Bad things. This bat is not one of them.

The Philadelphia Flyers practice rink was located in my previous town just a couple miles from my house, though somehow I never met Gritty in person. But when I discovered that JoAnn Fabric had a Gritty-print fabric, I bought some last year on a whim. When I later realized that mandarin orange Shannon Cuddle 3 minky matched it perfectly, I hand-painted some round glass beads for orange-and-black googly eyes, and ended up with Gritty Dragon. But the Gritty fabric was on his underwings, and I was never quite satisfied with him.

It was time to turn to other folks' patterns, so I present a BeeZeeArt bat - just as wall-eyed as his predecessor, but with Gritty much more prominently displayed on his wings and ears. His eyes are a larger version the same types of beads, slightly repositionable so Gritty's unsettling gaze can be as direct or as crazy-eyed as you want. (Gritty Dragon also got a makeover, and Gritty Dragon II has his own listing now. So does the Four Seasons motel keychain.)

Although the overall plushie is not a licensed NHL product, the print fabric is - it even made a (very brief) appearance as the lining of the real Gritty's leather jacket in his "Greased Lightning" video.

Despite its toy-like appearance, this is an adult collectible with small parts that could pose a choking hazard. Made in a smoke-free but cat-occupied home from a licensed BeeZeeArts pattern. Gritty Dragon, props and other colors/sizes of dragons are for comparison only. You are buying one bat.